Former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta launched several
initiatives to curb sexual assault during his tenure, and Hagel has pledged to
continue to make the issue a top priority. The Pentagon estimated that 19,000 cases of sexual assault occurred in 2011 in the military, while only 3,200 were reported.

While lawmakers say Hagel’s review is encouraging, the Wilkerson case has fueled new complaints that the military is not taking the issue seriously
enough.

Boxer, Speier and others have also called for the removal of
investigating and prosecuting cases from the military chain of command
altogether, and creating an independent agency for these cases.

“We need to take a close look at our military justice
system, and we need to be asking the hard questions, with all options on the
table, including moving this issue outside the chain of command,” Gillibrand
said.

The Wednesday hearing included testimony from victims of
sexual assault, who told their stories of how the military failed to help them
and give them justice.

“I no longer have any faith or hope that the military will
prosecute or convict sexual predators,” said BriGette McCoy, a former Army
specialist.

In the afternoon, officials from the military services were scheduled to testify at the hearing.